Developmental Disabilities Affecting Social Communication: Language Impairment

Specific Language Impairment (SLI)

Definition

• Refers to children exhibiting delays in vocabulary and morphosyntactic skills without being deaf or having other developmental delays.

Social Interactions

• SLI children are often avoided by typically developing (TD) peers due to communication difficulties.

• By age 4, they are least liked by TD peers, leading to ongoing social challenges throughout school years.

• Difficulty in making requests, comments, and repairing communication breakdowns reduces participation in conversations.

Impact of Limited Social Interaction

• Fewer conversations lead to delays in language and social development.

• Caregivers of SLI children use less facilitative conversational styles, further limiting opportunities for interaction.

Challenges in Adolescence

• Higher levels of peer problems (bullying, fewer friendships) and emotional symptoms (withdrawal, emotion regulation issues).

• Increased hyperactivity and conduct problems compared to TD peers.

Theory of Mind (ToM)

• Social interactions are crucial for ToM development; SLI children struggle with these interactions, which hampers ToM growth.

• Difficulty interpreting emotional reactions and mental states affects social interaction success.

• Generally slower development of cognitive and affective ToM compared to TD peers, concluding at a lower performance level.